Pulmonaria

{{short description|Genus of flowering plants in the borage family Boraginaceae}} {{redirect|Lungwort|the lichen|Lobaria pulmonaria}} {{other uses|List of plants known as lungwort}} {{automatic taxobox |image = Pulmonaria officinalis 800.jpg |image_caption = ''Pulmonaria officinalis'' |taxon = Pulmonaria |authority = L., 1753 |type_species = ''Pulmonaria officinalis'' |type_species_authority = L., 1753 |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = 18; see text |subdivision_ref = <ref name = powo/> |synonyms = *''Bessera'' {{small|Schult. (1809), nom. illeg.}} *''Paraskevia'' {{small|W.Sauer & G.Sauer (1980)}} |synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:4771-1 ''Pulmonaria'' L.] ''Plants of the World Online''. Retrieved 23 July 2024.</ref> }}

'''''Pulmonaria''''' ('''lungwort''') is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, native to Europe and western Asia, with one species (''P. mollissima'') east to central Asia. According to various estimates there may be between 10 and 18 species found in the wild.

==Description== thumb|Arrangement of flowers thumb|Detail of ''P. officinalis'' flowers Lungworts are evergreen or herbaceous<ref name=RHSAZ>{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1-4053-3296-5|pages=1136}}</ref> perennials that form clumps or rosettes. They are covered in hairs of varied length and stiffness, and sometimes also bear glands. The underground parts consist of a slowly creeping rhizome with adventitious roots. Flowering stems are unbranched, rough, covered with bristly hairs, usually not exceeding {{convert|30|cm|0|abbr=on}}, with a few exceptions (''P. mollis'', ''P. vallarsae''). The stems are usually upright, or slightly spreading. The plants reach {{convert|15-25|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} in height, spreading up to {{convert|60|cm|feet|1|abbr=on}} wide.{{sfn|Avent|2012}}

The leaves are arranged in rosettes. The blades are usually large, from narrowly lanceolate to oval, with the base ranging from heart shaped to very gradually narrowing, and can have a sharply pointed or blunt tip. The leaf margin is always entire, but in some species and forms can be rather wavy. Basal leaves are carried on stalks that can be short or longer than the leaf blade in various species. Stem leaves are smaller and often narrower, and are unstalked or clasping the stem. All leaves are covered with hairs that are usually bristly, or occasionally soft. The leaves are often prominently spotted in black and blue, or sometimes in pale green, or unspotted. The spots are due to the presence of foliage air pockets. These pockets, which cool the lower leaf surface, mask the presence of chlorophyll.{{sfn|Avent|2012}}

The inflorescence is a terminal scorpioid cyme as a cymose corymb, with bracts, on short pedicels (stalks), reaching just above the foliage.{{sfn|Avent|2012}} The flowers are heterostylous, with two distinct forms of flower within each species; those with short stamens and long styles ("pin" flowers) and those with long stamens and short styles ("thrum" flowers), with the former usually being larger and more showy. The calyx is hairy, 5-lobed, tubular or funnel-shaped, enlarging as the fruit ripens. The corolla is funnel-shaped and consists of a long, cylindrical tube and a limb with five shallow lobes. Within the corolla throat, five tufts of hairs alternate with the stamens to form a ring. The colour of the corolla varies from purple, violet or blue to shades of pink and red, or sometimes white. The colour of the flower in bud is often pink to violet when they first emerge, which then changes to blue as the flower matures.{{sfn|Avent|2012}} The stamens and style are included within the corolla and not protruding.

The nutlets are smooth, egg-shaped, brownish, up to {{convert|4.5|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|3|mm|1|abbr=on}} wide, each containing a single seed. Up to four nutlets per flower are produced, ripening mostly in summer.

== Taxonomy == ''Pulmonaria'' is a genus in the Boraginoideae subfamily of ''Boraginaceae'', consisting of approximately 18 species, although species delineation (speciation) has proved problematic.{{sfn|Meeus et al|2016}} Within the Boraginoideae, ''Pulmonaria'' is placed in the tribe Boragineae, where it is closely related to ''Borago''.{{sfn|Chacon et al|2016}}

===Species=== 18 species are accepted.<ref name = powo/> {{div col}} *''Pulmonaria affinis'' {{small|Jord.}} *''Pulmonaria angustifolia'' {{small|L.}} *''Pulmonaria australis'' {{small|(Murr) W.Sauer}} *''Pulmonaria carnica'' {{small|W.Sauer}} *''Pulmonaria cesatiana'' {{small|(Fenzl & Friedr.) Selvi, Bigazzi, Hilger & Papini}} *''Pulmonaria collina'' {{small|W.Sauer}} *''Pulmonaria × digenea'' {{small|A.Kern.}} *''Pulmonaria × heinrichii'' {{small|Sabr.}} *''Pulmonaria helvetica'' {{small|Bolliger}} *''Pulmonaria hirta'' {{small|L.}} *''Pulmonaria × hybrida'' {{small|A.Kern.}} *''Pulmonaria × intermedia'' {{small|Palla}} *''Pulmonaria kerneri'' {{small|Wettst.}} *''Pulmonaria × landoziana'' {{small|Péterfi}} *''Pulmonaria longifolia'' {{small|(Bastard) Boreau}} *''Pulmonaria mollis'' {{small|J.F.Wolff ex Hornem.}} *''Pulmonaria montana'' {{small|Lej.}} *''Pulmonaria × norica'' {{small|Teyber}} *''Pulmonaria × notha'' {{small|A.Kern.}} *''Pulmonaria obscura'' {{small|Dumort.}} *''Pulmonaria officinalis'' {{small|L.}} *''Pulmonaria × ovalis'' {{small|Bastard}} *''Pulmonaria rubra'' {{small|Schott}} *''Pulmonaria saccharata'' {{small|Mill.}} *''Pulmonaria stiriaca'' {{small|A.Kern.}} *''Pulmonaria visianii'' {{small|Degen & Lengyel}} {{div col end}}

=== Etymology===

The scientific name ''Pulmonaria'' is derived from Latin ''pulmo'' (lung).<ref name=AZPLA>{{cite book|last=Coombes|first=Allen J.|title=The A to Z of plant names|year=2012|publisher=Timber Press|location=USA|isbn=978-1-60469-196-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781604691962/page/312 312]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781604691962/page/312}}</ref> In the times of sympathetic magic, the spotted oval leaves of ''P. officinalis'' were thought to symbolize diseased, ulcerated lungs, and so were used to treat pulmonary infections. The common name in many languages also refers to lungs, as in English "lungwort", German ''Lungenkraut'', French ''herbe aux poumons'', Serbian ''plućnjak''... In some East European languages, the common name is derived from a word for honey, e.g. Russian ''medunitza'', Polish ''miodunka'', Serbian ''meduniče'', Bulgarian "медуница".

== Distribution and habitat ==

The species of the genus are distributed across Eurasia.{{sfn|Meeus et al|2016}}

== Ecology ==

''Pulmonaria'' is an early spring flowering deciduous perennial, retaining its leaves till late winter, just before the new growth emerges.{{sfn|Avent|2012}}

=== Pests and diseases ===

''Pulmonaria'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species. These include the case-bearer ''Coleophora pulmonariella'', which feeds exclusively on ''P. saccharata'', and the moth ''Ethmia pusiella'', which has been recorded on ''P. officinalis''.

==Cultivation== thumb|right|upright|Pulmonaria on stamp of USSR Of the known species of ''Pulmonaria'', only about eight are known in cultivation.{{sfn|Avent|2012}} Pulmonaria are used as ornamental garden plants, particularly ''P. saccharata'', ''P. angustifolia''<ref name=RHSAZ /> and ''P. longifolia''. Others include ''P. affinis''.{{sfn|Avent|2012}}They are especially valued as groundcover in damp shaded areas, producing their blue and/or pink flowers in late winter and early spring, accompanied by dense clusters of heart-shaped leaves that are often strikingly mottled and marbled, throughout summer.

The following cultivars, of mixed or uncertain parentage, have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 81 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 14 May 2018}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=15em}} *'Blue Ensign'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90767/i-Pulmonaria-i-Blue-Ensign/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pulmonaria'' 'Blue Ensign' | access-date = 23 September 2018}}</ref> *'Cotton Cool'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/154961/Pulmonaria-Cotton-Cool/Details | title = ''Pulmonaria'' 'Cotton Cool' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 17 February 2021}}</ref> *'Diana Clare'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/135762/i-Pulmonaria-i-Diana-Clare/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pulmonaria'' 'Diana Clare' | access-date = 23 September 2018}}</ref> *'Lewis Palmer'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/94000/i-Pulmonaria-i-Lewis-Palmer/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pulmonaria'' 'Lewis Palmer' | access-date = 23 September 2018}}</ref> *'Little Star'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/109651/Pulmonaria-Little-Star/Details | title = ''Pulmonaria'' 'Little Star' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 17 February 2021}}</ref> *{{tdes|'''Opal'''}} = 'Ocupol'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/104289/Pulmonaria-Opal-Ocupol/Details | title = ''Pulmonaria'' {{tdes|'''Opal'''}} = 'Ocupol' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 17 February 2021}}</ref> *'Sissinghurst White'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/137190/i-Pulmonaria-i-Sissinghurst-White/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pulmonaria'' 'Sissinghurst White' | access-date = 23 September 2018}}</ref> *'Trevi Fountain'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/151060/Pulmonaria-Trevi-Fountain/Details | title = ''Pulmonaria'' 'Trevi Fountain' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 17 February 2021}}</ref> *'Vera May'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/136717/i-Pulmonaria-i-Vera-May/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pulmonaria'' 'Vera May' | access-date = 23 September 2018}}</ref> {{div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography == {{refbegin|30em}} * {{cite web |last1=Avent |first1=Tony |authorlink=Tony Avent|title=Pulmonaria - The World of Lungworts |url=https://www.plantdelights.com/blogs/articles/pulmonaria-lungworts |publisher=Plant Delights |access-date=22 May 2019 |date=March 2012}} * {{cite journal |last1=Chacón |first1=Juliana |last2=Luebert |first2=Federico |last3=Hilger |first3=Hartmut H. |last4=Ovchinnikova |first4=Svetlana |last5=Selvi |first5=Federico |last6=Cecchi |first6=Lorenzo |last7=Guilliams |first7=C. Matt |last8=Hasenstab-Lehman |first8=Kristen |last9=Sutorý |first9=Karel |last10=Simpson |first10=Michael G. |last11=Weigend |first11=Maximilian |title=The borage family (Boraginaceae s.str.): A revised infrafamilial classification based on new phylogenetic evidence, with emphasis on the placement of some enigmatic genera |journal=Taxon |date=24 June 2016 |volume=65 |issue=3 |pages=523–546 |doi=10.12705/653.6|bibcode=2016Taxon..65..523C |ref={{harvid|Chacon et al|2016}} |url=https://flore.unifi.it/bitstream/2158/1062785/1/Chacon_et_al_Infrafamilial_classification_Boraginaceae_Taxon2016.pdf |hdl=2158/1062785 |hdl-access=free }} * {{cite journal |last1=Meeus |first1=Sofie |last2=Janssens |first2=Steven |last3=Helsen |first3=Kenny |last4=Jacquemyn |first4=Hans |title=Evolutionary trends in the distylous genus Pulmonaria (Boraginaceae): Evidence of ancient hybridization and current interspecific gene flow |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=May 2016 |volume=98 |pages=63–73 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2015.11.022 |pmid=26732490|bibcode=2016MolPE..98...63M |ref={{harvid|Meeus et al|2016}}}} *[http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Pulmonaria+&SPECIES_XREF=&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK=species Flora Europaea: ''Pulmonaria''] *[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=127635 Flora of China: ''Pulmonaria''] * Bennett, M. (2003) [http://www.batsford.co.uk/book/0713487321 ''Pulmonarias and the Borage Family'']. B.T.Batsford, 240pp. {{ISBN|0-7134-8732-1}} * Hewitt, J. (1994). ''Pulmonarias''. Hardy Plant Society, 51pp. {{ISBN|0-901687-10-3}}

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== External links ==

{{Commons category|position=right}} {{Wikispecies}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q630406}}

Category:Pulmonaria Category:Boraginaceae genera